List of all Presidents of India from 1947 to 2018

The President of India is the head of the Indian government. He is the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. He is known to as the first citizen of India.

The President of India is elected by the Electoral College composed of elected members of the parliament houses, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, and also members of the Vidhan Sabha, the state legislative assemblies. His tenure is five years, as stated by article 56, part V, of the Constitution of India.

Till now, there have been 14 Presidents of India. Apart from these fourteen, three Acting Presidents have also been in office for short periods of time. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, is the only person to have held office for two terms. Varahagiri Venkata Giri became the Acting President in 1969 after Zakir Husain, died in office. Varahagiri Venkata Giri was elected President a few months later. He remains the only person to have held office both as a President and Acting President.

Before being elected Seven Presidents have been members of a political party. Six of these presidents were active party members of the Indian National Congress. The 12th President, Pratibha Patil, is the first woman to serve as President of India, elected in 2007. The present president of India is Ram Nath Kovind since 25 July 2017.